Orphans
by SL the Pyro
Summary: Lucas and Lyn. Two young warriors, training and fighting to become stronger and protect those they care about. Could something more happen between them? LucasxLyn, for Pikana's Unique/Odd Pairings contest. SLIGHT language warning, rating may change.


**A/N:** Well, it's another contest, and it's an excuse for me to write up something about my new favorite pairing. Given their backstory and relatively small age difference (SSBB says she's 15!), it kind've surprises me that this hasn't been done yet. I assume that it's because Lyn is an Assist Trophy rather than a playable character and thus doesn't get as much attention, so I'm giving credit where credit is due.

"But SL!" I hear someone in the back say, "Isn't this pairing already hinted at in _Snapped_, your _own_ story? That means it's actually already been thought of!" Oh ye of little faith. I foresaw this and fired off a PM to Pikana about it, and it was approved. So no worries.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1: Know Thy Neighbour

"Falcon _Kick_!"

Captain Falcon engulfed his foot in white-hot fire and came barreling down at Lucas, who did an evasive back flip in his panic. They were in a one-stock Brawl on Hyrule Temple, and despite the stage's ridiculous size and his potent psychic powers, the master F-Zero pilot had almost been sticking to him like white on rice. The blonde psychic had been unable to avoid well over half of the barrage of punches, kicks and fire that he threw around, and this had wreaked havoc on his damage meter. It was already at 132%, and he couldn't risk it climbing much higher. That wasn't to say he hadn't dealt some good shots to Falcon himself, who was at 97%, but he was moving to fast for him to deal a finishing blow.

Lucas was caught vulnerable, as once he stopped his evasive maneuver, he saw Falcon coming at him with a Raptor Boost. The powerful uppercut sent him flying all the way onto the highest platform of the temple's left section, and left his damage meter up to an even more dangerous 149%. He shook the stars out of his head and glanced around when he got to his feet to see Falcon quickly making his way to him again, eager to end this match. Things weren't looking good; he needed something to catch him off guard… maybe some new items had fallen? He looked around and saw his potential salvation sitting right behind him: a blue capsule with a brighter-blue silhouette of a human being inside. An Assist Trophy. The helper these produced were random and something like a 50-50 chance of actually being useful, but he'd take what he got. He grabbed the Assist Trophy and held it up into the air, and it shattered.

With a quick flash of white light, the human shape inside the capsule was replaced by a woman wearing an aquamarine warrior's dress and landed beside Lucas. She had long, emerald-shaded hair and ocean-blue eyes. A long katana was strapped to her waist. Lucas immediately knew who it was; Lyn was summoned out of the Assist Trophy. "Need a hand?" She said softly with a smile.

Lucas grinned broadly. "Pretty please?" he replied.

Lyn nodded, shutting her eyes and grasping the hilt of her katana, her breathing slowing… taking the time to detect her target. As Falcon approached, Lucas knew he needed to keep him busy long enough for her to prepare. He pressed his ear to the platform, listening for the enemy's footsteps. When they were coming from just the right spot, he flipped under the platform and attacked Falcon with a back-flip kick, enhanced by his telekinetic powers. It hit squarely on his helmet, sending him back to the ground he had jumped off of. When Lucas landed he tried to whack him with his stick, but the F-Zero pilot was faster and rolled out of the way. Like always he was quick to retaliate, jumping up slightly and bringing his fist back, ready to finish this. "Falcon…"

Lucas just stood there, hands behind his back and with as innocent an expression as he could manage, and sung the word that would mean the enemy's doom. "Lyn~"

Quick as greased lightning, Lyn had descended from the platform and landed in between Falcon and Lucas, delivering a powerful slash to the pilot's torso with her katana, the Mani Katti. Unguarded and totally surprised, Falcon was sent flying into the western arena border, his pained scream preceding the explosion of rainbow-coloured light that signified his defeat.

Lucas sighed with relief and was going to thank Lyn, but before he could, the world around him vanished in a white daze…

* * *

Brawls were certainly an out-of-body experience, to say the least. The arenas that combatants fought in didn't really exist, not in the real world at least; they were completely digital. Smashers accessed them by going into special stasis pods that left their bodies unconscious, while mental images of themselves are transferred to the arena. It involves a mixture of science and magic so complex, not even the likes or R.O.B. the robot and the Evil King Ganondorf can fully grasp it. Regardless, it allows people to fight to their fullest potential without actually being in any real danger, and accomplishes this task with flying colours. The only catch is that the transfer from corporeal body to virtual one is disorienting, and unsettling in rare cases…

Lucas had firsthand knowledge that the particular stasis pod he was made to use had been experiencing issues lately, and therefore didn't handle the mental separation with as much ease as he would've preferred. When the glass sealing the pod off lifted to allow him to leave, he felt horrible. Not quite queasy, but it was darned close; the world was almost spinning around him and he had some trouble finding his balance… which he immediately lost when Toon Link smacked him on the shoulder as a celebratory measure. It didn't matter if he couldn't see him straight, his hyena-like laugh informed him of who it was. Thankfully the elven child caught him before his face met the… he didn't know _what_ the floor was made of exactly, but it was a shimmering, dark-purple colour and was _very_ hard. Not something one would want to faceplant onto. "Whoa-ho, sorry Luke! I forgot that pod was weird…" Toon Link apologized.

"Awesome fight, Luke!" said Ness, running up to him as well, along with two other people he couldn't _quite_ make out… but judging from their uniformly blue and pink attire, it was probably the Ice Climbers, Popo and Nana. "You were smacking Ol' Falcon around like a piñata!"

Lucas groaned, quickly replaying the Brawl in his head. "More like a pendulum… he wouldn't stay away from me!" he complained, trying to shake the dizziness out of his head. It only partially worked, but at least he was able to stand on his own now and pulled himself out of Toon Link's supportive embrace. "It's only thanks to Lyn that I pulled that one out…" Lyn… how many times had he been lucky enough to summon her out of an Assist Trophy item? And not _once_ had he been able to thank her because he was spirited away by the Brawl system… it didn't help that he never saw her outside of the arena. He felt guilty…

"Still though, nice job." Toon Link complimented him. "So, anyone want to get get some lunch? I'm starving…"

"I'm up for that." Ness said with a shrug. Lucas noticed his stomach rumbling from the difficult fight and nodded in agreement as well, as did the Ice Climbers.

"But it _wasn't_ Lucas, it was _Lyn_!" the children heard Captain Falcon complain to a couple of his running buddies, Wario and Wolf. "If she hadn't shown up when she did, I would've punched him into next week!"

"Tch. Excuses." Wario scoffed. "You-a _still_ lost to a whiny-a little-a mama's boy."

Lucas stopped walking, a dark shadow crossing his face. Mama's boy… the term reverberated through his head like an echo. He _hated_ being called that… he absolutely _hated_ it… his right hand balled up into a shaking fist.

"I really don't get why people are like that." Wolf stated, arms help up in a shrug. "What kind of parent would raise her child to be a coward?"

Rage. Pure rage. Lucas hardly ever felt genuine anger towards anything, the gentle soul that he was, but Wolf had just crossed a serious line. Insults to his appearance, to his way of doing things, to his masculinity even… he could take that. But _no one_ speaks that way about his mother!

"Eh? Lucas?" Ness said to try and get his attention, wondering why he'd stopped walking with them… just in time to see Lucas go berserk.

"_Why you_!" the blonde roared, leaping at Wolf with his fist ready to flatten his muzzle. Wario and Falcon on either side of him were completely ignored, dashing right past them.

"Whoa!" Forunately, Ness managed to dive and grab hold of his legs to prevent him from going forward any further, and Lucas' punch missed the surprised anthromorph by mere inches. "What are you doing, Luke!?"

"Don't you _ever_ say things like that about my mother, you inbred puppy!" Lucas shouted at Wolf, completely ignoring Ness and trying to wrestle free from his grip. Seeing Ness' efforts to stop the deranged psychic failing, the other three kids each tried to restrain him as well, the Ice Climbers holding either arm and Toon Link with his arms looped around his waist for the second time that day. "Let me go!" he growled, still fought against his friends' grip, but to no avail.

Wolf was spluttering a response, shocked by both Lucas' attempted attack and his insult. "Luke, man, calm down!" Ness pleaded with him. "We're only allowed to fight in Brawls! We'll get in trouble if you clobber him!"

Lucas ceased his struggling, remembering that Ness was right. Master Hand was very lenient with the freedoms and activities in the Smash Manor, but there were ground rules, along with punishments for _breaking_ those ground rules. The punishments for starting a real fight outside of a Brawl were extremely severe. This didn't stop every synaptic impulse in his mind from wanting to rip the fur off of Wolf's body, but he fought against it and tried to calm himself down, still shaking. Feeling this, his friends let him go and Lucas turned around to leave.

"Jesus Christ, what crawled up _his_ ass?" Wolf finally said.

Ness turned to him, eyes full of rage. "Wolf, you idiot! Did you forget that his mother is _dead_!?"

"So what?" the mercenary shrugged, having regained his composure. "It's not _my_ fault he's so sensitive. He needs to grow up a bit."

Ness could feel his own fist shaking; he wished he couldn't understand how someone could be so arrogant that he deliberately aggravated people… but then he met Porky. But rather than repeat Lucas' attempt at breaking the rules, he closed his eyes and sighed. "C'mon guys, let's go eat. He's not worth the trouble." he declared, following Lucas out of the stasis pod room. The remaining three children were quick to join him. Lucas himself was standing alone in the hallway, waiting for his friends, no longer shaking. Ness put a hand on his shoulder and asked, "You gonna be okay?"

The blonde breathed a heavy sigh out of his nostrils. "Yeah, I'll be fine…" he replied. "Thanks for stopping me, Ness…"

"What happened to you, Lucas?" Popo asked with concern. "I've _never_ seen you that angry before…"

Lucas was going to reply to the male Ice Climber, but he was interrupted by the growling of his stomach. "We can talk about it over lunch." Toon Link suggested, reminding everyone that they were going to get something to eat before this mess started. "And think of a… less dangerous way to get back at Wolf."

"Less dangerous" coming out of Toon Link's or Ness' mouths meant only one thing: a prank. And it brought a sinister smile to Lucas' face. "Yes… less dangerous…" he muttered darkly. It was a definite sign of bad things to come when Lucas of all people started to have thoughts of revenge…

* * *

The gold-hearted Lucas was someone who detested pranks with a passion, though that was because _he_ was usually the target. When the victim was someone like Wolf however, a conceited being with little or no respect for the feelings of others, he made a big exception. Especially after what he'd said about his mother… he was going to make him pay for that dearly.

Enter Ness and Toon Link, the notorious prank masters of the Smash Manor, who had just the plan to get back at him: disable the hot water while Wolf was taking his shower. True to the nature of the animal he looked like, he was usually nocturnal and would do his wake-up routine in the middle of the night when no one else would be. That made him the perfect target.

Ness, Lucas and Toon Link – the Ice Climbers couldn't force themselves to stay awake that long – had killed time playing board games and watching a movie, but after that they were all business despite being dressed in their pajamas. The blondes were camped out at the door to Wolf's room, Toon Link with a walkie-talkie to communicate with Ness, and Lucas with a small recording device known as a "Yak-bak." Ness had snuck into the basement and navigated his way to the plumbing system, ready whenever they were.

They had been waiting patiently for about ten minutes now. Wolf was definitely awake, a light shining out from the creases in his door confirmed that, but it was only now that they heard the sound of water running. But the kids were treated with another sound from within the target's dwelling… one far more entertaining…

"Sweeeeet Aaaadeliiiinnnne…~"

Lucas and Toon Link blinked at each other, doing a double take. Was that singing they heard?

"Myyyyy Aaaadeliiiinnnne…~"

The two children quickly pressed their hands over their mouths to stop the roaring laughter that was trying to surface. There was no doubt; Wolf was singing in the shower. Unable to speak at the moment, Toon Link rapidly pointed at Lucas' yak-bak. He got the message and pressed the "record" button, holding it up to the door to record his singing. The only thing that made it better was that Wolf actually had a good singing voice, like someone in an opera…

"_What, what's going on? What's so funny?"_ Ness chimed in over the walkie-talkie. Toon Link hadn't realized he'd been holding the "talk" button down in his hysteria. He held it up to the door so the third prankster could hear, and before even a few seconds, he too was trying to hold back his laughter; these walkie-talkies were so clear, his laughter could easily be heard from inside the shower. _"Is he really singing!?"_

Toon Link pulled the walkie-talkie back. "Y-yeah…" he struggled to say, failing miserably at trying not to chuckle afterwards. "Q-quick… do it before we burst out laughing and get caught… he-he!"

"R-right… get the Yak-bak ready…" Ness replied.

"_Myyyyy_ Aaaadelii—_AROOO_!"

Wolf's agonized howl preceded a hard _thud_, which was followed by a string of unsavoury curses Lucas would rather not have heard. Nonetheless, it was a total gas and had the boys cracking up terribly, and they decided to get away from Wolf's room before they completely broke down. They ran as fast as their bodies would allow back to gymnasium, which was Lucas' bedroom, and only managed to shut the door before they finally collapsed on the floor, laughing and rolling around like escaped mental institution patients.

"Oh Nayru, oh _sweet_ Nayru…" Toon Link said with exhaustion, trying to pick himself up off the floor, but not succeeding. Lucas had struggled to lift himself onto his bed so he could sit on something more comfortable. Carpeting may be soft, but all it really did was cover up hard flooring. "_Please_ tell me you recorded all that…" he asked. Lucas pressed the "playback" button on the Yak-bak, and sure enough, Wolf's voice played through its miniature speaker, from the wonderful singing to the tormented whimper of a dog. Toon Link descended into fits of mad laughter again, but Lucas was out of breath.

Revenge is sweet.

* * *

After Ness had joined the blondes for the aftermath, and also fell to the floor laughing after hearing the recording, the boys decided it was time to go to bed before someone caught them up so late. Lucas wasn't sure about the other two boys, but he himself was wide awake. He was used to staying up late when he had to help his father tend to his farm back home, and after tonight's festivities he was fully alert. Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep like this, he decided to get some fresh air and set out for the manor courtyard.

It was unknown whether or not Master Hand bought everything the Smash Manor has or if he just created it all himself, the mysterious being that he was… but regardless, he spared no expense in making this place a perpetual haven for its inhabitants. The courtyard was adorned with marble walkways, three large fountains and two massive statues made in the shapes of Master Hand and his left-handed incarnation, Crazy Hand. The grass fields were a healthy, almost shimmering green even in the darkness of night, and flowers of every colour were flourishing in plots of soil around the manor's exterior. A mass of twinkling stars shone down from above, dwarfed only by the half-moon.

It wasn't the first time Lucas had leisurely strolled around the manor grounds at night. The cool night atmosphere was calming to him, and it aided him in either clearing his mind or allowing him to think deeper about what was troubling him. This time he was doing the latter, trying to exhaust his mind so he could get some sleep later. His thoughts had turned to the Assist Trophy that had helped him win his Brawl against Captain Falcon earlier today… that pretty woman with the katana. Then he remembered the matches she had helped him in before that. Lucas realized that not only had he never had the chance to thank Lyn for her help, but that he barely knew anything about her. The adventures of everyone in the manor were catalogued and placed in an archive for the curious, but Lucas didn't like prying into people's lives like that. He preferred to learn about people the old-fashioned way, by being their friend. But how could he be friends with someone that he never got to see outside of the arena?

"Hah!"

A noise back in the here-and-now caught the young psychic's attention, from behind him? He whirled around to see what it was… but found himself only staring at the wall of the manor. Looking upwards and seeing nothing on the roof, he began to think he imagined it and continued walking…

"Yah!" But he dropped that theory when he heard it again… the walls of the manor were too thick, sound couldn't be heard from outside of them…

That was when the last possibility clicked in his brain: he was hearing sound _bounced off_ of the wall, an echo. Mentally kicking himself for not realizing this before, he finally turned his gaze outward to the manor's grassy fields. There was the cause, the silhouette of a person dancing around… no, not just a person, it was holding something. Swinging it almost wildly, but with some kind of grace and sense at the same time… his curiousity taking hold, Lucas cautiously walked closer to the person. He recognized certain features of the person as he got closer; long hair done up in a ponytail, the katana being the thing that the person was swinging around, and robes blowing in the cool night wind… definitely a woman… could it be?

"Is that you, Lyn?" Lucas asked shyly.

She stopped swinging her weapon for a moment, lowering it and saying, "You're up awfully late… I didn't disturb you, did I?"

The voice… it was Lyn for sure. Lucas smiled when he realized he was right, but he didn't dare approach her to see her face… that katana was still unsheathed and that made him a little apprehensive. He shook his head in response her question and told her, "N-no, I was just taking a walk… why, what are you doing?"

Much to his relief the blade was finally returned to its sheath, and she turned to face him. The moonlight shone on her face, giving her an almost ethereal sense of beauty… Lucas could feel himself blushing. "I was working on my swordplay." Lyn told him. "The training room isn't open at night, so sometimes I come out here to practice… it reminds me of home."

"Oh." Lucas breathed out. This section of the grounds was a wide open, grassy expanse… like plains. He wished there was a place at the manor that was more like his own home… "I wish I had a place like this back home… most of it is mountains." Lyn let out an understanding hum. Lucas hadn't expected this… he was only just thinking about this woman a minute ago, regretting that he'd never seen her after his Brawls that involved her, and now that she was here he could barely believe it. He decided not to let it faze him though. "Lyn? I, uh…" He blushed again. "I wanted to thank you…"

Lyn raised her eyebrows in curiousity. "What for?"

"For those Brawls you helped me win…" he replied, looking down at his feet with a hint of sorrow. "Everyone here is so strong that I can hardly keep up with them… I'd never survive here without people like you helping me… I'm not as strong as they are…"

Lyn smiled a little as she walked up to the boy, kneeling down so she could see his face more clearly, looking into his eyes. There was much that could be told about a person by looking into their eyes… she could see sorrow, pain, fear… but beyond that, there was desire. A desire to become stronger, to protect those he cared about. Lyn knew those eyes… she had them herself, when she was younger… "Lucas… that's your name, right?" she asked. He nodded slowly. "That's not true. You're not weak…"

"Y… yes I am…" Lucas sighed, his head lowered again. "Everyone calls me a mama's boy, a crybaby… and they're right…"

"So what?" Lyn said, a little bit harshly. He looked up at her again in surprise. "It's true, crying makes you look weak… but that doesn't mean you _are_ weak. Even the strongest of us cry sometimes, including me…" Lucas just looked at her in disbelief, more-so when her hand caressed his cheek. "Losing a parent is a terrible feeling, I understand… I went through the exact same thing…"

Lucas gaped at her. "You… lost your mother…?" he asked hesitantly.

"And my father…" Lyn corrected him. "I'm an orphan…"

An orphan… Lyn? Such a strong woman, a true warrior… an _orphan_? Lucas could hardly believe what he'd just heard. But when he looked into her eyes then… he could see it. Pain… intense emotional scars. So much like his own. Unbelievable perhaps, but he had no reason _not_ to believe it either… "I… I'm so sorry…"

"No, it's alright…" Lyn told him. "My point is, Lucas, that you shouldn't let what other people think of you disturb you. They don't know or understand the trials you've went through in life. Only _you_ know that, and you've survived them all. Keeping such a kind heart after everything you've went through is a sign that you're stronger than you realize…"

Lucas was still absorbing everything that she'd just said as she stood up. His kind heart… some of the people at this manor, the villainous types namely, contested that caring for others would invite only pain and suffering. But his mother had told him long ago that the ability to brave that pain and suffering was where true strength lies… only now, listening to someone who has been through the same things he had, did he start to realize what that meant. "Lyn… that…" He was almost at a complete loss for words, other than the next ones that left his mouth. "Thank you…"

"Anytime." she replied. "If you ever want to talk, I'm usually out here around this time, so feel free."

"I will… thank you so much." Lucas said, regaining his smile and bowing to her before running off to go to bed. It was getting a little too late, even for him…

He never imagined that there was anyone in this manor like him, who had suffered the same hardships he did… nor was he expecting that someone to become such a great friend… it made him feel… happy. For the first time since he could remember, he felt genuinely happy… he'd nearly forgotten just _what_ it felt like.

It was a welcome thing.

* * *

**A/N:** The first chapter, but not the last, I promise. I still haven't gotten to the romance aspect of this yet, though that's mainly because I'm still juggling ideas around in my head… I don't think it'll be too long before I have this whole thing finished.

Also, in regards to the title… yes, I'm aware that Lucas isn't a _complete_ orphan… but let's think about this. His mother is definitely dead, and his father spent the majority of three years looking for his terminatorized brother. So he's had to fend for himself mostly. That's the rationale I'm using at least.

P.S.: To those of you wondering what's happening with _Snapped_ right now, I just got off of mid-terms and a reading week that was filled with homework… so yeah, not much production with that. But I'll continue it when this is done, I promise.


End file.
